About Lot

Savour the Lot River’s enchanting natural beauty

Trees line the shores of the scenic River Lot, giving way to medieval hilltop villages, lush vineyards and spectacular limestone cliffs amongst the wilderness. The river makes a unique venue for boating holidays in France. Outdoor pursuits like cycling, swimming and fishing go hand in hand with fine dining, browsing in open-air markets and sightseeing at historic châteaux!

Find your bearings...

The perfect boating region for...

Wildlife

On a River Lot cruise, you might see golden eagles, red kite hawks, golden orioles, singing nightingales and cute otters often play along the banks. The Lot Valley is also home to colourful rare orchids and an abundance of butterflies!

Fishing

Try night fishing for wild carp on designated sections of the Lot River. You can catch some really big ones! Black bass are also a popular catch when river boat fishing on the Lot. Roach, rudd, perch, pike and zander haunt these waters too.

Watersports

Canoeing and kayaking on the River Lot is a popular watersport holiday pursuit! Why not tie up and hire a canoe or kayak for a pleasant afternoon exploring along the river and getting close to nature?

Useful information

A bit of background

Rising from the Cévennes Mountains, River Lot, the 7th longest in France, meanders 491 kilometres (305 miles) through fertile valleys and gorges cut through limestone plateaus before merging with the Garonne River near Aiguillon. The water follows the contours of the land, creating deep loops and easy bends that are a joy to navigate. In fact, one of the beauties of a barge holiday on the River Lot is that you get to follow a natural watercourse.

As a mountain river, the Lot has very few major tributaries as it flows west past age-old cities and towns — Mende, Capdenac, Cajac and Cahors. You can see at a glance on a River Lot map, the most significant one is the Truyère, which is dammed to produce hydroelectric power. The River Lot drains a basin of about 11,400 square kilometres (4,400 miles).

Who is Le Boat?

Emerald Star outside of Ireland is known as Le Boat. If you book a destination outside of Ireland your booking will be with Le Boat and our boats and bases proudly display our Le Boat brand. But don't worry, you will still receive the same great service that you would get from our Emerald Star bases in Ireland. Le Boat is Europe and Canada's 'Number One' boating holiday provider and, like Emerald Star, have been operating on the waterways of Europe for 50 years. Your holiday is in safe hands.

River Lot was once navigable for much of its length, spawning the growth of villages and towns throughout the valley. However, the river was closed to navigation in 1926 and the lock system fell into disrepair. In 1989 work began on opening the upper section, which is the one you’ll explore, a stretch extending 72 kilometres (45 miles) from Luzech to Larnagol. A lower section of the Lot from Aiguillon to the vicinity of St. Vite opened for business in 2001.

There are no lock keepers on the River Lot, and all the locks are manual and user-operated. Locks are fun and operation is simple, but we recommend that at least two members of you crew have a good level of fitness. Couples travelling alone should allow extra time for slower progress and should be mindful that one person will have to operate both gates at each lock by themselves, while the other drives the boat. Most couples choose to wait for another boat, so they can travel through locks together and share the effort required. Should you have any questions or difficulties, Le Boat is at hand to provide you with helpful advice. There are 17 locks on the upper River Lot.

Opening hours: Locks open every day from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

You can moor in ports. However, there are also some lovely country mooring areas on the river away from villages that will give you a chance to enjoy the solitude of the Lot Valley. Some have picnic tables. Moor with the bow facing the current, and run lines to keep the stern off to prevent the boat from going aground if the water level lowers during the night.

Interactive map of Lot

Great to see...

Once a Gallic stronghold thanks to its natural barriers, Luzech is a now pretty and welcoming town where you will have a good time visiting the sights, like the old castle tower and the gothic church, Saint-Pierre.

Caillac is a small and quiet village. The downtown area has a man-made lake that's terrific for fishing. Visitors love to observe the happennings in town and taking in the views of the surrounding countryside.

Mercuès is a green and leafy place where you can enjoy a relaxing walk around the town. The Saint Germain church is a pleasure to visit. During the summer, the Mercuès Castle is also open and offers wine-tasting.

Surrounded by a verdant forest, Pradines is a charming village full of history. Come here and visit one of the four churches that the city owns. Walk through this typical town and try one of the good restaurants.

Cahors is the largest city in the area where you'll discover impressive architecture inherited from the middle ages. Downtown, you will enjoy walking along the flower-lined streets and seeing the old timbered houses, which create a particularly charming atmosphere.

Laroque-les-Arcs is a lovely town built in a particular architectural style, typical of the area. See the old church, des Récollets, and the charming chapel, Saint-Roch. If you stay here, try the excellent restaurants downtown.

Arcambal is a typically quaint town where you'll discover vestiges of the past, like the fortified ruins now covered by vegetation. The old Bouquet Castle is also a great sight to see, as is the impressive church Saint-Antoine, built in the 15th century.

Although Bouziès is a small village, it is home to many beautiful sights to see. Moor here and take a walk along the towpath, a path carved into the rock along the canal from where the views are wonderful. Or cross the suspension bridge and look out over the Lot; this alone will make your stop worthwhile.

Classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France, the whole village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is considered a museum. Walking in town, you will marvel at the veiw over the Lot. At night, the illuminated church lights up the valley.

Larnagol is a charming village, typical to the area. Take time to wander through this lovely fortified town, which was built centuries ago.

Itinerary suggestions

To help you get an idea of how far you can travel in the time you have, here's a selection of routes to and from our bases in this region. You dont have to stop at all the places listed or follow the route exactly. So long as you return your boat to your end base by the date you've booked - you're free to enjoy your cruise however you like. For a comfortable pace, allowing you time to regularly stop and explore, we'd recommend an average of 2 - 4 hours cruising each day.

Douelle RETURN via Luzech & Crégols

You ease the boat away from busy Cahors and head off on another day of your Lot River boating holiday in France, enjoying the impressive scenery. You crane your neck to see a hawk flying above craggy limestone cliffs, and in the distance Mercues castle perches atop a cliff. Pretty villages and grand châteaux dot the banks, tempting you to go ashore.

Notes: On the River Lot, all the locks are manual and user-operated, and there are no lock-keepers. As such, at least two members of your crew should have a good level of fitness.

Douelle RETURN via Vers

Douelle RETURN via Vers

You chose the Lot River for something different, a unique take on boating holidays in France, and now that you’re out on the water you smile happily because you made the right choice. Limestone cliffs and narrow gorges compete with stunning hilltop castles for the eye’s attention. Forests line the shores, and picturesque villages tempt you to stay.

Karin Elliott said

It was great considering the language barrier as well. The boat was clean and the run-through quite thorough although a lot of information to take in all at once. Would have been beneficial to be advised that hiring a boat with thrusters would be a better choice for those of us without experience. A great 'starter' with only 3 nights. Now we'll be more confident next time we do it. Loved the serenity of being on the water. A tricky spot near Mercues but otherwise easy.

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Douelle - Douelle

Crusader

Added on 01 September 2018

David Clarke said

THIS IS ARE THIRD LE BOAT AND THE RIVER LOT WAS BY FAR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL. WE HAD THE NEW HORIZON BOAT AND ALTHOUGH THE BED ROOMS WERE A LITTLE CRAMPED IF WAS STILL A VERY COMFORTABLE BOAT. HOPEFULLY OFF TO CANADA IN 2020. EXCELLENT. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE LOT.

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Douelle - Douelle

Horizon 4

Added on 09 July 2018

Konstantin Lanin said

Well organized team, very helpful and responsive , good introduction, briefing and training. We used Horizon-2 Boat , new, perfect condition but in reality good for family with 2 children (4 people). Hope we'll do it again when our kid get a bit bigger, he is just 4 years old to early for such adventure with so many manual locks :-) The personnel at the Douelle base were very responsive and helpful. Good and efficient training even for people with first time experience on the Boat trip like I was .

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Dear Mr Lanin, Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are delighted to learn you enjoyed your cruise on the River Lot with us. Your comments have been forwarded to the Douelle base team. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on board with us again soon! Best wishes, The Le Boat team.

Douelle - Douelle

Horizon 2

Added on 04 July 2018

Megan Belt said

The crew at Douelle was top notch. Our boat was ready when we arrived and team members offered good information and answered all questions. They were available throughout our cruise to answer any questions by phone. They were very responsive when we had a small issue with a clogged bow thruster and immediately sent out a tech to fix the issue. We thoroughly enjoyed our week on the Lot. There were many places to moor up and have lunch, walk around small towns. We particularly enjoyed Cahors, Vers and St Cirque. We had some wild weather the week we cruised and it made the manual locks challenging in a few places. It helped that we had people with boating experience on board. We hired the beautiful Horizon 5, envied by many when we moored for the evening, but a bit of a behemoth when maneuvering into locks and tight moorings.

Dmitrii Miroshnikov said

Nico Botha said

Very professional and helpfull Good value for money and although the boat was compact, it was convenient

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Douelle - Douelle

Caprice

Added on 25 September 2017

Tania van Remoortere said

The reception at Douelle was efficient, friendly and professional. The initial reservation experience with the Cape Town office with Dianne was excellent. The boating experience was brilliant and the boat was in very good working order. Excellent service and goof value for money

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Douelle - Douelle

Calypso

Added on 18 September 2017

Terry Hiner said

The office service was excellent, very helpful and informative. Did the cruise in September and the Lot River was very scenic, quiet, not many boats on the river, the locks were a lot of fun to work, the mooring sites were not over crowded, only spent one week and was not enough time to enjoy the many villages and towns along the way.

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Douelle - Douelle

Calypso

Added on 18 September 2017

Hugh Fairfull-Smith said

They were efficient at securing the booking .
They were not so easy to engage about finer points of the hire , probably because they have never been to that part of France ! A great base ! Staff were most helpful and supportive . The best base we have been to out of four .
The river Lot is a wonderful place with so much to see , we really enjoyed our 2 weeks .

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Douelle - Douelle

Royal Mystique A

Added on 21 August 2017

Zarna Rostant said

Great for all the pre-holiday advice but the base could have been a little more enthusiastic and welcoming. The Vision 3 is a beautiful boat, well apportioned, comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms with more than adequate storage. The salon is fabulous and the upper deck large and comfortable. An absolutely super boat for a party of 6.

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Douelle

Le Moulinat, 46140 Douelle

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About Douelle

Douelle is our only base in the Lot region. The Medieval town of Luzech is only a couple of hours west and worth visiting for its gothic architecture and museums. Cruise eastwards and the iconic Pont Valentré in Cahors is just 3.5hours from the base and another 6.5hrs on from there lies the famous village of St Cirq-Lapopie, perched 100m high on a cliff overlooking the river. The whole of this region is easy to see in a week-long boating holiday.

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Le Moulinat, 46140 Douelle

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About Douelle

Douelle is our only base in the Lot region. The Medieval town of Luzech is only a couple of hours west and worth visiting for its gothic architecture and museums. Cruise eastwards and the iconic Pont Valentré in Cahors is just 3.5hours from the base and another 6.5hrs on from there lies the famous village of St Cirq-Lapopie, perched 100m high on a cliff overlooking the river. The whole of this region is easy to see in a week-long boating holiday.

Sorry, it looks like there aren’t any boats available based on the criteria you’ve selected. Try searching on a different start date and if you still can’t find the holiday you want, you can call us on (00353) (0) 71 962 7633